The Shy and the Oblivious
by Anton M
Summary: He stutters. She has lactose intolerance. They become friends. Best, even. A silly story about facing your fears. Fluff, angst, humour. ExB AH
1. Stutter

**Disclaimer:** Everything connected to The Twilight Saga is the property of its respectable owners (2005 by Stephenie Meyer, protected under the U. S. Copyright Act of 1976). Avowedly recognizable characters, settings, portrayals, situations, et cetera are the property of S. Meyer. Original creation, plot and characters, are copyright to the author of this story. The author of this story is not, in any way, associated with any media franchise. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

**The Shy and the Oblivious  
**by Anton M.

**Chapter 1  
**

Vernal rain was pouring down on the old-established mansion, bole-coloured paint flaking off from the enormous walls. In spite of its size, this Gothic style 19th century chateau was not a fancy place to live, for it was cold, clammy and self-induced sounds of unknown origin. The squared windows were vast, but didn't facilitate brightening the rooms. Bella's room was placed on the second floor of this enormity. Years ago, she'd insisted on obtaining the smallest of rooms, and yet, it still seemed eerie in its greatness.

"Would you please – _please_ – sit still? I'm warning you, this is Bella holding scissors. _Bella_, ring any bells? Your almighty best friend who will cut off your ear if you won't stop fidgeting," the brown-haired girl huffed, amused by Edward's childish behaviour. She insisted on cutting Edward's hair short for the scout camp they were supposed to drive off to together. Her belongings were already packed, just as Edward's were.

Edward lived downhill with his parents and unbelievably big family. Prior to contrary belief, neither of them was particularly well off. Bella knew how difficult it was for her parents to preserve this huge inherited place, and refused to ask for pocket money when there was even the slightest chance that she could find a part-time job next to high-school.

The man with untamed reddish hair huffed back, "You–you're the one who-who wanted to cut off my–my reasonably long hair."

"_Reasonably long_? Are you kidding me? I almost confused you with a monkey the other day."

Edward gripped Bella's wrist, showing enough force for stop her, but not hurting her. "D–did you just co-compare me... to–to a _monkey_?"

Bella hesitated, a smile threatening to turn into laughter. "Yes?"

"Ta–take... take it back," Edward uttered, a tilted smirk covering his lips.

"No."

"Take, it, back."

"I think it's perfectly reasonable to draw comparisons... bet–ween t–t...things... t–that –" the scissors flew out of her palm as Edward's hands moved to her waist, tickling her fiercely. Her body hunched forward, breaths coming out unevenly, and laughter getting lost in her rapid breathing. She was soon locked in between Edward and the ancient red carpet.

Edward's hands were grasping Bella's wrists, pressing them securely on the carpet on either side of Bella's head. He straddled her without any difficulty. "Ta–take it back."

"No?" she replied dubiously this time, distracted by his proximity. She wasn't used to seeing Edward without his plastic-framed glasses on, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his green ones when he did decide to 'rest his eyes,' as he called it. They were almost unbearably close.

"T-take it back, or I–" Edward's voice halted, "or I'll–"

Bella smiled slyly, her words uncharacteristically imprudent, "Or you'll what – stutter me to death?"

A warm flush heat up Edward's neck, spreading to his cheeks. Bella immediately felt guilty for her innocent words, she had no reason to allude to his disability, even if it was harmless. Edward released the grip he had on Bella, and stood up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

"It's fine," Edward shrugged dismissively, placing his glasses back on and hiding his eyes from her.

Bella's throat tightened. "No, it's not fine! I had no reason to... to imply that..."

"Lo–look, I sa-aid it's fi–fine, al-alright?" Edward raised his fisted arms, and punched the table, a book slipping to the stony ground. Bella raised her body up, her eyes filling with unshed tears. She hated seeing him beating himself up like that, especially now that she knew who he wanted to become after high-school.

"I'm sorry..." she repeated, feeling guilty for this silly situation. "You know it doesn't bother me."

"Oh, ye–yeah? Then why did–did... you have to–to bring it up?" Edward stammered, gulping as he shove a hand through his hair. Bella felt warm on her cheek as a tear trailed its way down, alighting on the back of her hand. She swallowed as well, trying to wrap her head around how this situation got so out of hand.

"I-I told you I was sorry, okay?" she stuttered and sighed to calm herself before Edward noticed that she was crying. But it was already too late. A single glance to Bella, and Edward immediately regretted the harshness of his tone. He wrapped his arms around Bella's fragile shoulders before sitting on the edge of the bed, placing Bella on her lap.

"I-I..." Edward sighed, closing his mouth. It was no use for him to speak when emotions were brimming over. He carefully caressed her hair, enjoying the smoothness of her brown locks.

Bella sniffed, feeling silly for crying in such a stupid situation. "Will you forgive me?"

Edward opened his mouth, but realised he wouldn't be able to speak properly – or what was properly for him – so he let out a sigh instead, tightening the grip he had on Bella. He placed his jaw on her head and nodded. Edward knew he'd always forgive her, for they were Edward and Bella – best friends forever.

Somehow, Edward didn't know whether that made him feel better or worse.

* * *

**A/N: **Do you have experience with logopaedics?


	2. Dilemma

**The Shy and the Oblivious**  
by Anton M.

**Chapter 2  
**

Edward felt Bella's warmth through the ragged green cardigan she insisted on not throwing away. The youngest among her relatives, Bella never complained about receiving and having to wear other people's clothes that didn't really fit her. Edward teased her about it from time to time, but he didn't care much about what she was wearing.

Bella stirred in Edward's lap, yawning. "Edward?"

"Mhm?"

"I'm really sorry," she started, "for earlier, it's not my place to –"

"Do–don't be," Edward smiled, covering her mouth with his hand. He knew she didn't mean to anger him. It was just so frustrating for him – not being able to express himself properly. Edward had grown to avoid speaking at school as much as possible in the fear of being made fun of, which had made him known as the quiet one. His friends, however, never cared.

There was a knock on the heavy carved door before Bella's mother entered with a pile of washed clothes. She gave both of them a knowing glance. Every time she did that, Edward felt as if she knew of his feelings toward her daughter. That possibility intimidated him for some reason; although he _was _content that Charlie was as oblivious as ever.

Thankfully, she needn't mention their position – Bella in Edward's lap – because it wasn't a rarity for them to be entangled around each other. Edward cherished every minute of it, neglecting the thought that one day, some guy worthier than him, would take her away.

'_My God, I am such a wuss,'_ Edward thought, chuckling.

Renee lay Bella's clothes on the end of the bed before looking up at them, "You know the car is waiting for you downstairs, do you?"

Bella jumped up, her yawn already forgotten. "It is? Oh, no! How long have they waited for us?" She attempted to pull Edward up. "Edward? Is your stuff already here?"

Edward could barely nod before Bella already shove Edward's black rucksack at him. "Let's go then."

Goodbyes were said, both Edward and Bella hugging Bella's mother before they left the room. "Have fun, kids!"

"Kids?" Bella smiled, sharing a glance with Edward.

Renee grinned. "You'll always be kids for me."

Bella rolled her eyes, tugging Edward slightly to gain attention. "I think she was brainwashed when we were three, and now she's delusional that time stopped."

"Hey, I heard that!" Renee cried after them, not really mad. She sighed to herself, determined to clean the closet. Bella waved at her as she glided down the handrail, waiting for Edward to come down, taking several steps at once. They both lowered their eyes as Edward jump too close to her. Edward prayed that Bella didn't notice his flush.

"Do you think they're all coming? Because if they are, we're gonna be squished at the back seat." Bella grabbed her back bag on the way to the door. "Either way, we're still going to be on a bus for four hours." She sighed. Whenever Bella and Edward happened to argue, they never mentioned it afterwards – it was always as if nothing happened.

Edward smiled and helped Bella on her raincoat before putting on his own. He was glad to see Bella so joyful. "Mhm."

They waved at Charlie, who was absorbed in the latest hockey game, as usual. Charlie wasn't an easy person to figure out, for he didn't talk unless inevitable. He had his intimidating moments – especially when he suspected that Edward was 'more than a friend' to Bella – but mostly, he was used to his normal routine of police-officer's life.

Bella and Edward left from the carved wooden door in front of the mansion. It creaked loudly before backtracking with even more loudness. Bella leaped, falling straight on Edward's chest.

"Ho–honestly Bella, you–you've lived here fo–for how long? And you're still no–not used to the door?" he chuckled, wrapping his arms around Bella just for the fun of it. Though he might've been doing it for more selfish purposes, hoping that whoever in that car would keep away from _his_ girl.

"It's not my fault that the door doesn't listen to me," she argued, upping her eyes to notice the red car in the rain. She nudged Edward's shoulder. "We better go."

Mike was driving, Jessica sitting by his side. Tanya, Bella's classmate, and some strange guy with a round face were sitting on the back seat.

"Ready to go?" Mike asked as they opened the door, his eyes on the intense rain. "Damn, this is getting ridiculous."

Edward muttered a "yes" before they quickly slipped in the car. Having no other alternative, Bella sat on Edward's lap, his arms wrapping around her immediately. If he couldn't give them the real impression, the least he could do was give them a false one.

Mike drove off, the windshield wipers moving rapidly.

"Hey, I'm Eric," the short guy introduced himself as he offered his hand. "I'm from Uphill High."

"Edward," Edward muttered quietly, thanking his fortune that he didn't stammer this time. Being introduced invariably caused him problems – people always asked the same stupid questions about his speech impediment. He could somewhat understand them, but that didn't make it less annoying.

"Bella," Bella offered her hand politely. "We're from Northwestern."

The guy smiled. "Figures."

They kept up a conversation after that, but Edward didn't participate. He'd never been comfortable speaking around other people, and Bella didn't embarrass him by forcing him to follow their trail of thought. Bella knew he'd have a say-in if he wanted. Edward smiled in Bella's hair, staring out of the window into the rainy day. He adjusted Bella at some moments, but could remain a gentleman. Having a beautiful girl on your lap on a bumpy road was definitely not easy.

Just as they were about to arrive, Eric straight-forwardly asked the question Edward had been afraid of. "So, you two, you're together?"

Edward closed his eyes, tearing his eyes away from them. He didn't want to see Bella's face as she said it, hearing it was harsh enough. He felt like he was punched on his gut every single time, listening to the words that were a proof of his failure and fear of rejection.

"No. We're just friends." Bella shifted uncomfortably, her tone carefully dismissive.

Edward decided to see Eric's reaction and turned his head. Eric's eyebrows rose. "But I thought–"

Bella shook her head, gulping. "No."

Edward considered her reaction, was her tone really sad? Nah, it couldn't have been. Imagination worked wonders if a person tried hard enough to find clues where there weren't any. Bella started to watch out of the window, but Edward noticed the happy glint that appeared in Eric's eyes. He groaned inwardly, closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. _'I'll have to deal with it sooner or later,'_ he thought bitterly.

"We're here," Mike sighed, "and considering the mud we just rode through, you should be thankful that you're alive."

"Oh, we are," Eric said before stepping out of the car. Bella and Edward exited as well, smiling as they saw the yellow bus through the heavy rain. Last year at the same time, their bus broke down on the way there, turning their night into a joke-telling time. From then on, it always inflicted a smile in their faces to see that same ancient yellow bus.

"That piece of _garbage_ is our _bus_?" Eric's eyes widened after his attempts to cover his head with a black hood had failed. "That's just. Urgh."

Bella nudged Edward, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she threw the rucksack on her shoulders. She whispered, "Please make sure to never turn into such a whiner or you'll find yourself locked in my closet."

Edward chuckled. "Yo–you mean – more tha–than usu–usually?"

"Exactly."

Edward laughed out loud to that, making several heads turn. The doors of the too-old-to-be-ancient bus opened, and the students started to elbow their way in. Edward and Bella followed, but as Edward sat down, he saw that Eric sat alone just behind him. Before he could draw Bella's attention, Eric had raised his arm and whistled. "Hey, Bella, was it? Would you sit next to me?"

Bella's eyes darted to him and shot up to Edward's. He mentally pleaded for her to understand him, even though he didn't consider Eric much of a threat after her earlier comment. He couldn't read her thoughts, though.

She seemed to hesitate. "Edward, would you mind?"

He sighed internally and gulped in the hopes that he wouldn't stammer that single false syllable. "No."

Bella smiled a sincere smile and passed him. Edward pretended to wipe his face, but actually wanted the earth to swallow him by hiding it. Those little things would eventually make her grow apart from him, and he even loathed the_ thought_ of that. He could learn to deal with another man in Bella's life, but if she'd shut him down completely... Edward was certain that he wouldn't survive that sort of torture.

"You alright?" a familiar voice asked. Edward tilted his head to lock eyes with Bella's. "You look kinda... bad."

Edward shook his head. "No–no, I–I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Bella sat next to him and Edward scowled.

"I pro–promise I'm fi–fine, you ca–can go back to hi–him now."

Bella's head snapped and she placed the rucksack in between her legs. She scratched her head in confusion. "Back to who?"

Edward shove a glance at Eric who had a young girl next to him now. Edward huffed, relieved yet embarrassed. "Uh, no–nobody?

Bella's eyes widened in recognition and she nudged Edward rather forcefully, muttering, "You thought–? You thought I was considering sitting next to that _whiner_? I'm offended, I must say. I just wanted to say hi to Angela."

"Oh," Edward flushed, embarrassed. As it seemed, Bella wasn't going to replace his company yet. His lips broke into a wide smile, and he placed his arm over her shoulder. "So, go–got some jokes fo–for me this ti–time, oh mi–mighty joker?"

Bella chuckled, finding warmth from Edward's chest as she leaned closer. "Yeah... but you're gonna have to break down the bus for that."

"I–I'll see what I-I ca–can do..."

Bella laughed, but yawned again. "Can I sleep like this until then? I just couldn't sleep last night; the rain was so loud." Edward took off his jacket, and placed it on Bella's shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her, not listening to what the teacher was announcing. The bus took off.

"Ha–have I ever denied yo–you?" Edward muttered, smelling her hair as he pulled her closer. Bella simply sighed and murmured something unintelligible before falling asleep.

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**A/N:** How long was the longest bus ride you've ever been on?


	3. Defense

**The Shy and the Oblivious  
**by Anton M.

**Chapter 3  
**

It was already dark outside when Bella awoke. She stirred, but closed her eyes again after feeling that Edward's head had fallen on hers. Bella smiled, tweaking Edward's coat so that they'd share it. Coldness dominated the air of the bus and rain was still pouring on the hazy window.

Bella's thoughts travelled to the first time she'd met Edward. She was five at the time, starting kindergarten alone in a new place. Her fearful five year old self knew no-one, and she didn't communicate much with the other kids. It wasn't even that she didn't want to – she simply didn't know _how_ to.

In winter, she'd stayed at home for an entire month with pains in her stomach that didn't seem to have a cause. She'd lost weight, and started to feel generally nauseated. Bella was tested for several allergies and ended up diagnosed with severe lactose intolerance. It wasn't easy for her to give up cocoa and other products that consisted of (or contained) milk – but in the long run, she'd gotten used to it. Sometimes she just felt glued to the packages as she shopped for dairy products.

One day, after Bella was better and back in kindergarten, she noticed a short boy with the oddest colour hair she'd ever seen. He was sitting in the corner away from the other children with his nose buried in an alphabet book.

Bella took a deep breath after she'd decided that he needed a friend. The boy simply looked so lost and lonely. Bella scrunched down next to him and the boy tilted his head up to see who'd created the shadow on his colourful book.

"Hi," Bella squeaked hesitantly. "I'm Bella."

The boy – with soft green eyes, as Bella realized – said nothing. He stared at her with wide eyes, as if wondering why she was speaking to him, but kept silent. His lips parted for a second, but he closed them without a word.

Bella played with the hem of her dress, very nervous about his lack of answer. "So... what's your name?"

She was so scared that her words wavered. The only time she'd gathered up enough courage to speak to someone to try to make friends, she was left without an answer. The boy gulped as he saw the girl slowly stand up with watery eyes. Bella turned, wiping away her tears. She hated to cry.

The girl felt a tug from behind her and faced about. The short boy swallowed, his own eyes filled with heavy remorse and neck red from flushing.

"What?" Bella snapped, disappointed by her choice of friends. "I'm no friend to you?"

The boy shook his head vehemently, his eyes horrified. He eyed her face for a moment before taking her hand into his. The boy shook his head once more before motioning toward the book, encouraging for the girl to join with him.

They crouched behind the book together, the boy teaching Bella of his view of the world. He knew the alphabet, but thought that muttering the word alone would make it easier for him to speak. The boy wasn't entirely mute, but talking came with difficulty for him. He was too embarrassed to speak around people, especially since his sentences were short and usually made no sense.

Bella didn't feel the need to point out his odd quiet ways. It didn't matter. It took an entire week before Bella got a word out of him, but she found out his name on the day they met. The boy showed different pages on the book, and since Bella wanted to see the purpose, she decided to memorise the letters.

"E–D... W–A–R–D?" she stammered, staring into his light eyes. "Edward? That's your name?"

The boy nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Edward immediately wished he could express his gratitude that Bella came up to talk to him, smiled at him, played with him... but he expressed with eyes what he couldn't voice out. That single look was enough to make Bella hug him. Edward vowed to himself that he would never let anything happen to a creature so kind and understanding. _'And she didn't even mention it,' _he thought with sincere wonder.

.-*-.-*-.

"Be–Bella?" Bella's pillow moved a little. "Ti–time to wake up, slee–sleepyhead."

"Hmph?" she snuggled closer to her warm pillow, hugging the strong mattress. Something closed her nostrils, but it didn't serve its purpose, because Bella had the unhealthy tendency to breathe through her mouth. As Edward realized this, he closed her mouth as well.

A second passed before Bella's eyes fluttered open. She wriggled herself out of Edward's hands. "What–?"

Edward smiled, but all Bella noticed was the position she was in – her arms draped around Edward's waist, head hidden under the crook of his neck and legs in Edward's lap. For a moment, she'd forgotten that she wasn't in her own bed. She muttered an apology, returned to her seat and felt immensely embarrassed as a blush covered her cheeks. She didn't blush nearly as much as Edward, but when she did, her whole face seemed to be on fire.

Or that's how it felt for her.

"We–we're here," Edward motioned toward the door, students stepping out of the cold bus and into the rain. He smiled subtly at Bella's blush, but she didn't notice his adoration.

"Oh, okay," she sighed, wiping sleep out of her eyes. "What's the time?"

"It's ni–nine o'clock."

"That late already? Weren't we supposed to get here with four hours?" Bella shove the rucksack on her shoulders. "Or is math getting even more illogical?"

Edward grinned. "You–you forgot tha–that this isn't exactly For–Formula 1 we're tal–talking about."

Bella laughed, willing for the blush to disappear. They exited the old bus and ran into the old schoolhouse that was surrounded by a forest. Bringing their rucksacks into the gym, they waited for their teacher to speak about their sleeping arrangements.

"Do you think they forbid co-ed groups?" a short girl was asking from behind Bella. Edward and Bella locked eyes with each other.

"What do you think?" Bella asked nervously. "I mean..."

"Yes?" Edward questioned, hoping that he wasn't too blazing. While it wasn't forbidden for neither of them to sleep over at each other's place, their parents always made sure they'd have separate beds. Luckily, nobody checked on them because they ignored the rule most of the time. Bella usually ended up not getting any sleep and cuddling up next to Edward. Edward thought Bella's life purpose was to kill him with that torture.

"I mean, I... wouldn't mind? You know I sleep better next to you," Bella murmured, completely embarrassed about the topic they were discussing.

"Good, me–me neither."

"Really?"

Edward scoffed at her lightly. "Do–do I look li–like I'm being tor–tortured when I slee–sleep next to–to you?" Talking about this made Edward nervous and Bella knew it from his stuttering. The more emotion involved, the more Edward's stuttering suffered under it.

"Uh, no?"

Edward frowned to the fact that Bella doubted him – he felt so impossibly apparent in his every move. He was surprised that Bella hadn't run in the other direction from the obsessive way he was acting around her. Apparently, Bella hadn't even noticed. Edward opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by the short teacher.

"Hi everyone!" she chirped. "I'm glad to see so many of you here. My name is Ashley Harper and I'm one of your teachers in this camp. As we all know, there are students in this scout camp from three different schools: Northwestern–" a round of applause erupted from one side of the room, "–Pine High School," another applause was heard, "and Uphill High," a louder applause erupted, but quieted down a moment later. "Now, as we live under one roof with over two hundred people in the course of two weeks, there are certain rules that you must follow, or there will be problems."

Some groans interfered with silence, but as the teacher continued to explain the living conditions and time-table, only a few whispers were heard. The students found out that while it wasn't important whether or not boys and girls shared a room – Edward turned his head away from Bella to hide his grin – it was mandatory for people from separate schools to be in the same room.

"It's for your own good – we want you to interact with each other as much as possible," Mrs. Harper explained. "Daily dozen starts at seven AM, and we expect you to be in bed by eleven PM. Don't forget to dry out your rain-coats – you'll need them tomorrow. That should be all for now. If you have any questions or problems, come and search for me or Mr. Banner." She motioned toward an elderly, but tall brown-haired man, who nodded before smiling at the students. "See you tomorrow then, bright and early. Good night!"

Students started to bustle about, their rucksacks, shoulder-bags and suitcases bigger than some younger students. Bella held on to Edward's sleeve as they climbed up the stairs. Most people were rushing past them in the hopes to grab better rooms for themselves, cheering, arguing and laughing on their way. It took Bella and Edward several minutes to find an empty room, but when they stepped in, it wasn't as empty as they'd thought before.

A little black-haired girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, a lolly-pop in her mouth, and a blonde guy was heartily eating chips. They stopped talking after Bella stumbled and accidentally switched off the lights.

"Uh, sorry," she muttered, turning on the lights again. Bella smiled hesitantly. "Could we stay here? It's just that all the others are filled and we thought –"

"Sure." The girl gave them an assuring smile. "No problem."

Bella averted her questioning gaze towards Edward. There were six beds on the room, aligned perpendicularly by two, three beds facing the window. "Which one do you prefer?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders and put his rucksack on a bed that faced the window. Bella smiled, placing her own belongings to the bed that faced Edward's. He knew that Bella didn't want to look out of the window while it rained, and deleted that option for her with his choice. Bella gave Edward a brief hug and even though Edward knew nothing of the reason, he was content holding her. The short-haired girl cleared her throat, making Bella flush slightly before she pulled away from Edward.

"So, you must be Bella," the blonde guy mused. "I'm Jasper, and this is Alice." They shook hands, Bella's eyes wide with apprehension as Edward and Jasper simply nodded at each other.

"You two, you know each other?" she frowned, surprised.

"Yeah, we do track 'n field together," Jasper gave Edward a friendly nudge. "Ed over here is my main competition."

"Com–competition? I ca–can't see much of a com–competition in me wi–winning yo–you." Edward chuckled, not noticing the brown eyes on him that were filled with wonder. Bella knew this joking side of Edward, but she'd never seen him looking so easy-going around other people. It filled her with hope.

Jasper laughed, and turned to Alice. "Honey, don't listen to him; he's high on Bella most of the time."

Alice snickered, licking her lolly-pop thoughtfully while Bella and Edward sat on Edward's bed. Bella tugged Edward's sleeve quizzically, but failed to notice the warning glance that Edward gave to Jasper. He simply shrugged, offering chips to Edward.

They talked that evening, joking around each other. Bella found out that Jasper was a student body president of Pine High, and Alice had been his help for a year before they hit it off together. Edward found himself feeling envious of what they had, how casually they showed their love for each other in everything they did. Deep in thoughts, he caressed strand of Bella's hair while laughing at something Jasper shared with them.

Alice raised eyebrows at Bella, certain that she was aware of the attention her best friend was giving her. Bella smiled at her, leaning towards Edward. As Alice realised that this wasn't the case, the crease above her eyebrows became more prominent. The way Jasper was talking about Edward and the image she'd gotten of Bella, she'd been certain that they were together. She'd thought of it as something natural.

Alice understood she'd gotten it all wrong and it bothered her. She'd always thought she knew this stuff through and through.

A knock on the door interfered with Alice's thoughts. A familiar face peeked in before the door spread wide open. "Hey, I was wondering where you were! Mind if I come here?" Eric sat down without closing the door and without waiting for an answer from them. "Can you believe there's not a single TV in this house? And these aren't even real beds," he groaned. "Ugh, and did you hear what time we're supposed to get up? I mean, it's like we're in the army or something..."

He shove his back-bag to the bed and started to draw his stuff out of it, continuing his whining. Bella and Edward shared an amused glance, but Alice's whisper made Jasper nod for some reason. They introduced themselves and got ready to sleep. Nobody questioned the empty bed; it was simply filled with their bags which would've gotten in the way otherwise. Edward discovered that he didn't have a towel with him.

"Be–Bella? Could I–I... use your to–towel?"

"Of course," she chuckled, messing up the content of her rucksack in order to find it. When she did, she threw it at Edward, who left the room.

Eric huffed, laughing at his own joke. "Stu–stu–stutter mu–mu–mu–much?"

Bella stiffened, but took a deep breath to remind herself that it wasn't her battle to fight. Jasper had been searching through his bag to find a tooth-brush. He tilted his head back to narrow his eyes at Eric. "You find that funny?"

Eric's laughter calmed a little as he searched for agreeing faces. "Yes, don't you?"

"No."

Eric realized he was the only one laughing and stopped. He still smiled, although it didn't look particularly good-hearted. "You gotta admit, it was funny. Does he always speak like a toddler?"

This time Bella walked up to him, wanting to protect her best friend. Despite the fact that Alice had only met Edward and Bella a few hours ago, even she felt like defending Edward. She nodded slightly to Bella, who sat down next to Eric. "You know, if you had the slightest chance of getting along with us, you wouldn't judge people by something they can't help."

Eric's grin faltered.

"Just thought you should know," Bella attempted to smile, but even Eric understood it was forced. "Just don't comment on his speech around us, okay?"

Eric gazed at Jasper and Alice for a moment, but realised they were both on Bella's side. Jasper was content with the diplomatic way Bella was dealing with this; he stopped paying attention to them and continued to unpack his stuff.

When Eric didn't answer, Bella sighed deeply. "Or if you can't do that, the least you could do is not to comment on it while he's around – alright?"

He nodded and Bella smiled sincerely this time as she got up. "Thanks."

Edward entered the room, his hair dry while it should've been wet. He heaved the towel at Bella. "The line's to-too long; I'll go-go in the morning," Edward said, "but tha-thanks anyway."

"No problem," Bella muttered, toppling her towel on her bag. Edward's eyes stopped on Eric, who was quietly searching for something from his bag. The way his undivided attention was focused on the content seemed off for Edward. His eyes flickered between Eric and the others.

"Di–did I mi–miss something?"

"No," Bella replied carelessly. "Not a thing."

Edward quirked an eyebrow at them, the room silent. "Oh, rea–really? Why–why are you all acting so–so weird the–then?"

"Just tired," Alice yawned. "It's been a long day."

Edward's eyebrow rose even more. "Uh-oh."

"Mhm," Bella retorted. "Don't worry about it, let's get some sleep."

Eric visibly relaxed, and started to act normally again. "Ugh, did you hear that we have to go outside tomorrow? They expect us to spend an _entire morning_ in the forest! I swear to God, if my dad found out about this..."

Alice huffed and Bella switched off the lights after everyone had laid out their clothes near the radiator. Alice scrunched up next to Jasper for a moment, whispering, "Where did you say you could find those cockroaches again? I think we should use them in the morning..."

* * *

**A/N: **What's the weirdest place you've slept on/in? (No dirty jokes, please, haha.)


	4. Obvious

**The Shy and the Oblivious  
**by Anton M.

**Chapter 4  
**

"Do you think he's dead?"

"No... or I dunno..."

"He's not moving..."

"I can see that."

"Do you think a bucket of cold water would wake him up?"

"I dunno, and I sure as hell won't be finding out either. Look at the size of him!"

Bella yawned, trying very hard to ignore the voices that had interrupted with her sleep. She drew the blanket over her head and turned over. Bella pushed one side of her head hard against the pillow, hoping that it would muffle the sounds.

"Who is he, anyway?"

"I dunno, I found him when I woke up."

"Found him?"

"You know what I mean... he was just there."

"Just... there?"

"Yes."

A few footsteps later, a huskier voice joined in. "Wha–what ha–happened? Who–who's that?"

"That's... someone," a voice that Bella recognised as Alice's, answered. "What if we pinched him?"

Bella threw the edge of the blanket away from her head, giving up on trying to sleep. She chuckled. "You know, if you wanted to wake me up, you could've just –"

"Shh!" Jasper shushed her dramatically. "You-Know-Who is sleeping."

"That." Alice frowned. "Or he's dead."

Bella wrapped the blanket around her and set her feet on the cold floor. It was still murky, but the desk lamp showed enough light to make out Alice, Jasper and Edward, all of them around the bed that was supposed to be filled with their bags.

"You-Know-Who is... who?" Bella questioned, stepping next to a very sleepy Edward. She jumped slightly after seeing a man's head next to the pile of bags, some dark clothing covering his clothed body. The stench of alcohol made Bella grimace. "Uh..."

"It's ju–just alcohol, Be–Bella," Edward rubbed his eye drowsily. "The re–real question is – is he ok–okay?"

At first, Bella had thought they were talking about Eric, but he was sleeping like a baby a few metres away. A baby wouldn't have snored like a freight train, though.

This man, however, appeared to be not breathing at all. His dark hair was peaking from under the weird clothing, left leg was dangling and his arms seemed to be massive. Edward frowned at the familiarity and Bella raised both eyebrows at him before they both broke into a beaming smile.

"Yo–you know..." Edward started with a smirk, not tearing his eyes away from Bella.

"Alice..." Bella continued.

"Why do–don't yo–you try..."

"That bucket..."

"Of–of water..." Edward's smirk widened. "I–I... think we ne–need to ma–make sure that he–he's alive."

Bella bit into her lip to try and appear to be serious. She stifled a cough as Alice wriggled her arms nervously. Alice was never hesitant about playing a trick on someone, but that only applied when she knew the person deserved it. "You think?"

"Oh, most certainly," Bella answered, remembering all the times that Emmett had had a ploy to trick Bella and Edward into something bad. They had wanted to get back at him since they were children, but their attempts tended to fail. Now seemed to be the perfect chance to try again.

"Make it as cold as you can," Bella whispered to Alice who was now searching for a vessel to use. Bella placed her blanket on the bed before Bella and Edward started to pull their bags out from under the massive body of Emmett, but their attempts were too feeble to pan out. Bella sighed in surrender. "How're we supposed to get the bags? He's too heavy."

"Le–let's try to–together." Edward smiled. They gripped the handles of their bags, drawing them carefully away from Emmett and listening to any sign of him waking up. Emmett budged slightly, and inhaled a deep breath, but lapsed back into motionless slumber.

Edward squinted his eyes in the dark, not accustomed to how hazy the world became without the glasses. Darkness didn't help. "Re–ready?"

Bella nodded. "On three? One... two... three!"

Using their full force to pull the bags out from under Emmett, Bella clenched her teeth together and Edward made sure that the angle would be right. They pulled with all the strength they had, but realized too late they were going to crash into Eric's bed. A loud groan emerged, some bags bumping into the wall and Bella's head colliding with the railing of Eric's bed. She grimaced in pain, but sat completely still to see if Edward was all right. Edward made a small 'pst' sound from behind her and Bella faced about.

Edward's grin faltered as he saw the dark liquid coming from her left temple. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again at the familiar recognition of not being able to utter a single word. He gently touched her head, gesturing at his own temple with the other hand.

Bella forced a smile. "Are you saying I'm nuts? 'cause, you know, that's why people usually point at their temple..."

Edward couldn't help but snort, even though Bella's blood made him feel uneasy. He shook his head, placing Bella's finger on her blood and showing it to her.

"Oh."

Edward gulped, closing his eyes as Bella apologised profoundly. He knew it wasn't her fault – the mere thought of that sounded ridiculous to him – still, he could do nothing but turn away to suppress the nauseating unease. Edward had never tolerated blood, and yet – his best friend was a walking disaster waiting to happen. When Bella ended up in a hospital – which was not rare – Edward was usually the one who needed to lie down. Bella didn't fail to tease Edward about his weakness, but she did notice how much it bothered him that he couldn't be there for her when she was injured.

Edward held his breath as he stood up, noticing Jasper's amused smile. He also noticed that Eric was groaning in his bed, throwing a bag to the floor before he fell back and started to snore. Edward would've laughed if he weren't so worried about Bella. He inhaled a breath before tilting his head to the side to motion for Jasper to help his best friend. Jasper knew Edward was of no help when things got bloody, he'd seen enough of it in their track and field practice.

Smiling apologetically, Bella left the room to search for the doctor, a completely unconcerned Jasper strolling by her side. He assured her that it was probable that the teachers, at least, had an emergency supply kit somewhere. They couldn't house two hundred students in one building without such a necessity.

A few minutes later as Alice entered the room with the vessel filled to the brim, she frowned at the seemingly empty room. The alcohol-smelling man was snoring in his bed, Eric competing with him in the sense of loudness. Only after her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room did she see that Edward was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out of the window. Alice frowned.

"Where's everyone?"

Edward snapped out of his reverie and focused his eyes on the vessel in Alice's hands. He smiled. "Be–Bella hit her hea–head and Jasper went to–to assure tha–that she found a doc–doctor."

"Is she alright?" Alice sat on the bed next to Edward.

"Ho–hopefully."

"But why didn't you..." Alice trailed off, but then smiled slightly. "Wait – you were the guy in Jasper's practice who didn't tolerate blood? Ah, I see."

Edward snorted weakly, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "Yeah, ru–rub it in."

"No, I didn't mean it like that." The smile on her face faded.

"I–I know, I know... peo–people ne–never do."

Alice pulled both of her legs on the bed and placed the vessel on the floor. Concerned that she'd upset a good friend of Jasper, she opened her mouth to speak, but noticed that Edward's grim smile turned into sincere laughter a moment later. "Se–seriously, don't wo–worry about it. I'm su–sure I'll fi–find a weakness of–of yours to tease."

Alice sighed in relief, snickering along. Forgetting about the vessel and the reason they'd waken up this early, they sank in easy conversation with each other. Alice learned that Edward could be a friend to trust, and Edward that he wasn't alone with his problems. He mentioned nothing about his feelings for his best friend, but he didn't need to. Alice understood.

"You're an idiot," Alice patted Edward's knee and stood up.

"I–Idiot?"

Alice smiled. "You could have what you want so easily, yet you keep avoiding or postponing getting it. Therefore, an idiot."

"Oh." Edward felt his neck flush, but turned away his gaze to stare out of the window again. The blackness of the sky had inconspicuously faded, and it was now a lighter shade of grey. The sound of raindrops signalled that the rain hadn't stopped pouring down. Alice's words finally sank in a few minutes after she'd spoken. "Wa–wait, an–an idiot?"

"That's what I just said."

"Bu–but you sa–said that I–I could ha–have what I want so–so _easily_?" Confusion was etched in Edward's face and he straightened his posture to stare at her. "Do–do you have a rea–reason to thi–think that sh... sh–sh–" Edward got stuck and huffed at himself, "might _li–like_ me?"

He felt foolish for getting so worked up about this glimpse of hope, but couldn't really help it. After realising it was the first time ever for him to utter even the slightest implication of liking (loving, really) Bella and voicing out the fact that he cared whether she liked her back or not, the flush on his neck spread to his face.

"Well," Alice stopped searching for her stuff from her bag to look up. She wanted Edward to get the message; he was supposed to understand her part in this story _himself_. "Well, what do _you_ think?"

The answer was so obvious to Alice.

"Hmph," Edward huffed an odd sounding laugh. "N–no."

Or not.

Bella and Jasper entered the room, laughing at the cheers, sleepy grumbles and a weird buzzing sound that were all coming from the hallways. Students were beginning to wake up; the daily dozen was only half an hour away. Bella's left temple was bandaged, but there was no sign of blood any more. She shared her knowing 'signature' look with Edward, noticing that his face was flushed for some reason. She waved it off and her eyes landed on Emmett, still sleeping with his face towards the pillow and still smelling of alcohol.

"You didn't wake him?" she wondered, stepping next to Edward.

"No–no, we tho–thought it'd be no–no fun without you–you," he replied, staring at Bella's face to notice any sign of pain. Edward knew she wouldn't complain about it even if her head did hurt.

"You were right," she smiled, crouching next to the vessel. She gripped it, noting that it was probably a little over one litre. Bella felt coldness creeping to her fingers.

"Are we still gonna wake him up?" Alice expressed her doubts. "I think he should sleep."

Bella's mouth formed an amused line. "You were the one who came up with this to begin with!"

"I know, but I don't know any more..."

Having watched their conversation, Edward simply grasped the vessel and threw the content all over Emmett's head. Edward had enough experience with his hangovers; Emmett's college years were pretty wild. The fact that he hadn't drunk for years worried Edward, but he knew the only way to wake Emmett up in a situation like this was the one he'd just used.

Cold water.

Emmett let out a low grumble, threw the dark clothing – which, as others now understood, was nothing but a crumpled tent – to the floor, and almost slipped to the ground himself. He took a deep breath before growling again, focusing his eyes on the people in front of him. It was a failure, and he closed his eyes again.

"Eh?" he muttered, obviously in pain from the hangover. Emmett wiped his face to clear his head, his voice hoarse. "What the– Where am I?"

Alice backed away a little, stumbling on the edge of the bed before hiding herself behind Jasper. Edward and Bella were both suppressing laughter, but were still oddly concerned for Emmett, Bella more than Edward.

"What di–did you do thi–this time?" Edward asked. He was more amused than anything.

Emmett opened his eyes for a moment, squinted them and focused them on Edward. "You!"

"Me."

"Why are you here?" Emmett frowned, blinking furiously.

"Why ar–are _you _he–here?"

Emmett sat up, groaned more while doing so and focused his eyes on Bella's face. "Wait – where are we again?"

Alice quirked an eyebrow at them, but Jasper shushed her before she could say anything. Bella gripped the tent – a very wet one – and placed it in the corner of the room. "We're in a scout camp near Uphill. You know, Canada – Earth? And weren't you supposed to be a trainee as a coach," Bella's eyes widened slightly, "somewhere?"

Recognition dawned on Emmett's face as he wiped his eyes. "How long 'till the daily dozen?"

Edward glanced at the clock. "Is tha–that why you're he–here? It's twenty five mi–minutes until it–it starts..."

"Shit." Emmett jumped up immediately, groaned again and grabbed his bag. Without another word, he ran toward the door and couldn't even hear the questions that were shouted after him. The room fell silent and it seemed that Eric had woken up while Emmett had started to cope with his hangover.

"You know him?" Alice stepped out from behind Jasper.

"Kinda," Edward answered, chuckling. "Al–although I refuse to–to acknowledge my re–relations with hi–him."

Alice gave Bella a 'huh?' look, and she mouthed 'brother' to her. She mouthed 'ah' back to her before grabbing her clothes. Edward, apparently unaware of the silent exchange, borrowed the towel from Bella to shower before the daily dozen. Having an abnormal family was normal for him.

Exiting the old schoolhouse, Edward's eyes searched for Bella from the crowd outside. Students were creating groups and desperately trying to avoid getting soaking wet with the first five minutes, some had even bothered to take umbrellas with them. Not such a good idea considering that the daily dozen was about to start.

Tightening the raincoat around him, Edward dodged away from several quivering students before his eyes landed on Bella, talking to... James?

Was it really him?

* * *

**A/N:** This little story deserves to be loved: s/5729851/1/The_Final_Melody

Do you have a favourite word?


	5. Awkward

**The Shy and the Oblivious**  
by Anton M.

**Chapter 5**

Edward took a moment to make sure that the guy was James. He was in khakis, a black sweatshirt carelessly thrown over his shoulder and a tilted hat covering his hair from the rain. But it wasn't his clothing or tallness – which hadn't changed in Edward's favour – that made Edward certain that the guy was James. It was the unequalled carefree nature. James had a talent, or what Edward believed to be his talent because he considered himself the opposite, to draw easiness into the conversation. Not ever had Edward seen James in an awkward situation – it was as if he either magically avoided or dodged away from them.

Whatever the reason, Edward didn't like it.

In his mind, it created a red marker that painted over his flaws; similar to _Sixth Sense_, where red was purposefully used to mark the presence of someone from the other world. The only difference was that in the presence of James, Edward marked the striking difference in their manners, and yet again – not in his favour. He knew he was somewhat tense and definitely uncomfortable to be around in social situations.

James always amplified his awkwardness by being who he was.

It had been quite a long time since they diverged from their friendship. Edward knew it was partly his fault that they didn't keep in touch with each other after James changed schools (switching to Pine High School), but he couldn't help but feel trapped. James had once given him an ultimatum and Edward had been too much of a wuss to use it at the time. The final agreement was something that James didn't have time to turn into reality when he moved away so quickly. Did James remember it?

Edward inhaled and walked close enough to be noticed.

"Edward." James raised both of his eyebrows, patted Edward's shoulder a few times and much to Edward's relief, leaned away from Bella. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh?"

'_Oh? What kind of a wimpish answer is that – oh?'_

'_The one__ I cannot stutter, idiot.'_

Edward felt his neck flush as they all stared at him, Alice tilted her head toward Jasper and sucked on a pink lollipop. Bella smiled slightly at Edward before her eyes landed on James again. That simple action was enough to confirm Edward's theories – but for the first time, Edward understood that he didn't _dislike_ James.

He _envied _him.

James grinned, playfully placing his hat on Bella's head before turning his eyes on Edward's an-inch-or-two shorter form. In a desperate attempt to avoid focusing too much on Bella and to do something non-awkward with his hands, Edward put his hands on his pockets. He struggled to find them before he realised his coat had no pockets.

Smooth, real smooth.

James dishevelled his own hat on Bella's head, making Bella snicker – Edward suppressed a groan as his neck flushed even more – and James smiled sweetly at Bella. He tilted his head up to look at Edward. "So you got over stuttering?"

"No–no."

'_Of all the times to get stuck with wording, I have to get stuc__k with one syllable? Kill me.'_

James shrugged it off, something he did more frequently with Edward around. "No problem; it's cool. I just thought I'd ask. How've you been?"

Edward could feel the awkwardness he caused - the abyss between his social skills and James's seemed to have grown. It wasn't even that he _lacked_, he simply failed to 'take it easy.' Edward understood that this could've been because of his obvious stress around others in the past – he was _used to_ being pointed out. James didn't stress about talking because he was _used to_ not having any problems with it. Surely, the past was a gateway to the present.

"I–I've be–been good; I'm fi–fine, re–really. Ho–how about y–you?"

Edward did not even remember the last time he felt such a distinct gap between two people. It'd all been fine yesterday when he was around the people he knew – _'and trusted,'_ he mentally added – but not when an old friend talked to him. How can his mind turn something as simple as talking into an awkwardness contest?

He'll never know.

"Aah, great," James dawdled, smiling. "I'm fine as well, especially now that I've caught up with you two." He dishevelled Bella's hair again, still grinning.

'_...like an idiot,__'_ Edward mentally added.

Bella frowned at the whole exchange – there weren't as many words as there was something behind them, and it frustrated her that she couldn't pinpoint the problem. Edward might've looked uncomfortable, but that was nothing new as they _were_ around people. More or less, it was always there. But how could two old friends act so neglectfully toward each other? Bella had considered James a cool dude; he was a refreshing change when one didn't want to think too much. He just let everything... _be_.

Did she want Edward to be more like him?

Cold wind blew on their faces and Emmett's voice boomed out of one side of the field. Their faces snapped toward the source of the familiar voice, and James waved at his friends in the middle of the field before he leaned into Bella to whisper something in her ear. Edward stared carefully at his shoes, trying to wrap his anxious face in constrained indifference. He wanted to assure himself that James would tell him first if he had wanted to ask Bella out – just like James would've done had he not moved away – but the thing was...

Edward wasn't sure. James could do whatever he wanted, he didn't owe Edward anything. A moment or two later, Bella's eyes snapped to Edward's face, but his eyes were lowered, so she couldn't even lock eyes with him. Bella hesitated, grasping her mobile phone inside her pocket.

"So?" James smiled, dishevelling her hair again as he took his hat back. "What do you think?"

"I..." she was still searching for Edward's eyes, but his undivided attention seemed to be on his shoes. Bella pursed her lips, smiling politely. "I... I'll consider it."

James grinned and his delight was audible in his voice. "Fantastic. See you later?"

"Sure."

Edward, having heard her answer, but not having seen her face, carefully raised his eyes to look at her. Bella shrivelled from the cold, but her eyes got careful, even a little distant as she caught his calm expression. They stared at each other in silence before realising that others were doing morning exercises after Emmett, who seemed oddly uncoordinated at times.

Edward gave Bella a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders before following Emmett's lead and raising his arms in the rain.

Bella just stood, raindrops falling on her face, still staring at his indifference. She didn't even know what she'd expected – anger, a protective glare, even a smile that would assure her of his solid perspective and crush her foolish hope. _Something._

Edward was a better actor than Bella let herself believe, or he simply didn't give a shit.

The last option seemed more likely to her.

* * *

**A/N:** What's the song you're listening to right now?


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